KOHELET 2
Behin-behineko pozaldia
1 Neure baitan esan nuen:
«Ea bada, dasta dezadan alaitasuna,
goza dezadan bizipoza!»
Eta horra, dena huskeria da.t
2 Irri egitea, zorakeria.
Alaitasuna, zertarako?
3 Neure burua ardoz alaitzea
erabaki nuen,
baina zuhurtasunez jokatuz;
zorakeria hori egin nuen,
harik eta ikus nezan arte
eguzkipean zer ote den hoberena
gizon-emakumeentzat,
berauen bizitzako egunetan.t
4 Lan handiei ekin nien.
Jauregiak eraikiarazi nituen
eta mahastiak landatu.
5 Lorategiak eta baratzeak
atondu nituen,
mota orotako zuhaitzak sartuz.
6 Urtegiak egin nituen,
zuhaitz gaztez eginiko basoa
ureztatzeko.
7 Esklaboak erosi nituen,
gizaseme nahiz emakume,
eta hauen seme-alabak ere
neuretzat izan nituen.
8 Zilar eta urre ugari metatu nuen,
baita zenbait erregeren
eta eskualdetako ondasunak ere.
Gizon-emakume kantariz
inguratu nintzen,
eta gizonak desira dezakeen
bezainbat emazteki izan nuen.
9 Handi egin nintzen,
Jerusalemen nire aurretik
izan direnak
baino handiago.
Gainera, neurekin nuen jakinduria.
10 Ez nien ukatu neure begiei
eskatzen zidatenik deus ere,
ezta neure bihotzari
pozik batere.
Nire lan guztietan
atsegin hartu nuen;
hauxe izan zen
nire lan guztien saria.
11 Begiratu nien, ordea,
neure eskuz eginiko lanei
eta horretarako
eraman behar izan nituen nekeei.
Eta horra, dena huskeria da,
haizea atzeman nahi izatea bezala;
ez dago onurarik eguzkipean.tZertarako izan jakintsu?
12 Jakintsu ala ezjakin eta
ergel izan,
hausnartzen ari izan nintzen
hobea zer ote den.
Zer egingo ote du
erregearen ondoren datorrenak?
Lehen ere egina berat.
13 Hala ere, ikusi nuen
hobea dela jakinduria
ergelkeria baino,
argia ilunpea baino hobea
den bezala.
14 Izan ere, jakintsua buruargi;
ergela, ordea, ilunpetan dabil.
Badakit, hala ere,
biek etorkizun bera dutela.t
15 Orduan, esan nuen neurekiko:
«Ergelak eta biok
etorkizun bera baldin badugu,
zertarako izan hain jakintsu?»
«Hori ere huskeria da»,
esan nuen neure baitan.
16 Ezen jakintsuaz oroitzea
ez baita betiko;
ergelaz ere ez dira beti oroituko;
hurrengo egunetan
guztiez dira ahaztuko.
Ai ene! Nahiz jakintsua nahiz ergela
biak berdin hiltzen dira.t
17 Nazkatua nago bizitzeaz,
higuingarri dut
eguzkipean gertatzen dena;
huskeria da,
haizea atzeman nahi izatea bezala.Heriotzak huts uzten gure asmoak
18 Gogaitua nago
eguzkipean egin ditudan
lan neketsuez,
neure ondorengoari utzi
behar izango baitizkiot.
19 Badakit nik bost,
zuhur ala tentel
izanen ote den.
Nik mundu honetan halako arretaz
egin dudan lanaz jabetuko da.
Ez du honek zentzurik!
20 Etsipenak hartua nago,
mundu honetan zenbat lan
egin dudan ikusirik.
21 Izan ere, eginahaletan ari da bat
zorrotz eta arretaz lan egiten,
emaitza onak lortzen,
eta dena,
inolako lanik egin ez duenari
utzi behar.
Hau bai dela huskeria
eta nardagarria!
22 Zer gelditzen zaio gizakiari
eguzkipean egin duen
hainbeste lan eta eginahaletatik?t
23 Egunero atsekabea baizik ez du,
eta bere lanetan nekea;
gauez ere ez du atsedenik hartzen
haren bihotzak.
Hau bai dela huskeria!t
24 Gizakiarentzat hoberena
jatea, edatea
eta bere lanaren fruituaz gozatzea.
Nik uste dut, hau ere
Jainkoaren eskutik datorrela;t
25 izan ere, honela dio berak:
«Nork jan dezake,
nor goza daiteke nik jakin gabe?»
26 Berak, atsegin duenari
baitizkio ematen
jakinduria eta argitasuna
eta bozkarioa.
Bekatariari, ordea,
biltze- eta metatze-lana ematen dio,
gero Jainkoak atsegin duenari
utzi behar izateko.
Horra bada, hori ere
haizea atzeman nahi izatea
bezain hutsala.t
Ecclesiastes 2
Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure
1 I thought to myself,t
“Come now,t I will tryt self-indulgent pleasurets to seet if it is worthwhile.”s
But I foundt that it also is futile.t
2 I said of partying,t “It is folly,”
and of self-indulgent pleasure,t “It accomplishes nothing!”t
3 I thought deeplyts about the effects oft indulgingt myselft with wine
(all the whilet my mind was guiding met with wisdom)t
and the effects oft behaving foolishly,t
so thatt I might discover what is profitablet
for peoplet to do on eartht during the few dayst of their lives.
Futility of Materialism
4 I increased my possessions:ts
I built houses for myself;s
I planted vineyards for myself.
5 I designedt royal gardenst and parkst for myself,
and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I constructed pools of water for myself,
to irrigate my grovet of flourishing trees.
7 I purchased male and female slaves,
and I owned slaves who were born in my house;t
I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks –
than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.s
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself,
as well as valuable treasurest taken from kingdoms and provinces.t
I acquired male singers and female singers for myself,
and what gives a man sensual delightt – a harem of beautiful concubines!ts
9 Sot I was far wealthiert than all my predecessors in Jerusalem,
yet I maintained my objectivity:t
10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;t
I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.t
So all my accomplishments gave me joy;t
this was my reward for all my effort.t
11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplishedt
and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,t
I concluded:t “All theset achievements and possessionst are ultimatelyt profitlesst –
like chasing the wind!
There is nothing gainedt from themt on earth.”t
Wisdom is Better than Folly
12 Next, I decided to considert wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas.s
For what more can the king’s successor do than what the kings has already done?
13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,t
just as light is preferable to darkness:
14 The wise man can see where he is going,t but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I also realized that the same fates happens to them both.t
15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me!t
Then what did I gain by becoming so excessivelyt wise?”t
So I lamented to myself,t
“The benefits of wisdomt are ultimatelyt meaningless!”
16 For the wise man, liket the fool, will not be remembered for very long,t
becauset in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten.t
Alas,t the wise man dies – just liket the fool!
17 So I loathedt lifet because what
happenst on eartht seems awful to me;
for all the benefits of wisdomt are futile – like chasing the wind.
Futility of Being a Workaholic
18 So I loathed all the fruit oft my effort,t
for which I worked so hardt on earth,t
becauset I must leave itt behindt in the hands of my successor.t
19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?
Yett he will be master over all the fruit oft my labort
for which I worked so wiselyt on earth!t
This also is futile!
20 So I began to despairt about all the fruit oft my labort
for which I worked so hardt on earth.t
21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;
however, he must hand overts the fruit of his labort as an inheritancet
to someone else who did not work for it.
This also is futile, and an awful injustice!ts
Painful Days and Restless Nights
22 What does a man acquire from all his labor
and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?t
23 For all day longt his work produces pain and frustration,t
and even at night his mind cannot relax!t
This also is futile!
Enjoy Work and its Benefits
24 There is nothing better fort peoplet thans to eat and drink,
and to find enjoymentt in theirt work.
I also perceived that this ability to find enjoymentt comes from God.ts
25 For no onet can eat and drinkt
or experience joyt apart from him.s
26 For to the one who pleases him,t God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,
but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassings wealtht –
only to gives itt to the one who pleases God.
Thist task of the wickedt is futile – like chasing the wind!